


Vengeful apricots

by fish_wifey



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (and lots of it), Bathing/Washing, Boys In Love, Kissing, M/M, Protective Older Brothers, Swearing, being teased by friends, misbehaving fruits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-06 04:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5403176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fish_wifey/pseuds/fish_wifey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months into the relationship with Tanaka, Tsukishima is influenced by his boyfriend's speech pattern. Unconscious of it, he cusses a lot, and not always silently to himself.</p><p>People start to notice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vengeful apricots

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lokh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokh/gifts).



> Mari asked for them to be cute but also to maybe be rude together. Now I guess you meant them being rude together to other people, but I took a more broad interpretation of it. I hope that you like it! Also, I don't want to say too much here (because I don't wanna reveal myself), so I will also not reply until reveals are up! Just this, I am really happy I was assigned to you, Mari. I had lots of fun writing them together. I'm planning on doing more of your requests, too.
> 
> Also about Akiteru, I want to explain a bit in the end :'D  
> EDIT: The sweet Da drew art for this fic ;A; link is in the end notes~!

Ryuunosuke always enjoys the moment. That short time span in which Kei decides to let his guard down and to have fun instead. It’s a moment in which the younger one’s face scrunches up as if he’s about to perform a task most unpleasant, while all he will be doing afterward is hold still and relax. 

Grinning from ear to ear, Ryuunosuke reaches up to cup the back of Kei’s head, and make him lower his head. Hands roam over his chest and to his shoulders, a tight grip making Ryuunosuke laugh into the kiss. They stand still, between two lamp posts, the evening chill not threatening them when their lips lock for some quiet minutes. There’s no one here to bother them, not when everyone from their team is gathering at Ukai’s store. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barks. 

Kei’s hands go below Ryuunosuke’s scarf, unraveling the thick fabric. Thumbs cross over Ryuunosuke’s earlobes. Once Kei has learned exactly how sensitive Ryuunosuke’s ears are, he had taken every opportunity to kiss, touch, or blow air on them. Letting his kouhai have some fun on his own by teasing him, Ryuunosuke rams his hips against Kei’s thighs, disliking their height difference once more. 

“You’re too damn fucking tall, Tsukishima.” He hisses, then bites Kei’s lips. Every once in awhile, he likes to use Kei’s family name, especially in situations like these. Kei groans, leaning down to kiss Ryuunosuke harder. As much as he has to remind Kei that they are, in fact, on first name basis, Kei tends to take issue with Ryuunosuke not using his first name. 

The fury of it makes the kiss hotter, better, rougher. Ryuunosuke’s scarf slides off his throat, hanging down his shoulders on two sides. He brings Kei to the wall, disliking how he has to tiptoe to get to the mouth. 

“Shit,” Kei breathes, his legs widening in stance, only to let his body sack down the wall. Grinning to himself and happy that he can stand on the ground fully, Ryuunosuke slides his tongue inside Kei’s mouth, seeking his tongue. He’s been holding back lately, not wanting to push Kei too much. As much as Ryuunosuke’s ears tended to be sensitive, it was easy to set Kei’s body alight, and have him blush and be warm all over. Knowing quite well that they had decided to take things slow, Ryuunosuke’s tongue has been kind, not attacking Kei too much.

However, he’s gotten into the mood, and listening to Kei’s swearing, he didn’t mind driving his body in urgent, grinding waves against Kei’s. As much as Ryuunosuke loves that small moment Kei always has between ‘No we can’t do this’ to ‘Jesus, come here and do it _more_ ’, it is only eclipsed when Kei loses every amount of self control and lets Ryuunosuke do the craziest things in the middle of the street. 

“Hey, Kei. Wanna come over on Sunday? My family will be out and I’m gonna install the kotatsu.” While Ryuunosuke waits for Kei to catch his breath, he lets his own breathing ghost over Kei’s jaw. The coziness of his own scarf, still in perfect tie to the back, brushes against Ryuunosuke’s chin.

“...Sure.” Kei answers, his hands slowly pushing Ryuunosuke off. “If I miss curfew tonight, my parents won’t let me, though.”

Ryuunosuke looks at the state he’s put Kei in, then ties his own scarf properly, grinning wide. Taking Kei’s hand, he walks him home. They walk past Ukai’s store, for once not going inside for Ryuunosuke’s melon bread. They don’t always walk in silence, but Ryuunosuke has learned that Kei likes to have something Yamaguchi called a ‘comfortable quietude’. Which reminds Ryuunosuke, as they get closer to the Tsukishima residence, that he wanted to ask about Kei’s friend. 

“Hey, by the way. Doesn’t Yamaguchi mind that he has to walk home on his own every so often?” Ryuunosuke bows forward to look at Kei’s face, which is still a nice shade of blushing pink. Kei looks at him for a second, then sighs. They stop in front of his home gate, but Kei doesn’t let go yet. 

“I told you. Yamaguchi doesn’t mind any of it. And I’m not an asshole. I still make time to hang out with him and stuff.”

Relieved, Ryuunosuke sighs, then pulls Kei down by his scarf to kiss him one more time before leaving. 

“Okay then. See you tomorrow at practice! Or, if you like, meet me at the bicycles.” Ryuunosuke moves his eyebrows in a way suggest what they’d do at that place, and it has Kei look away, hiding in his scarf to not show his blush again. He tells Ryuunosuke off, then gives him a warmer look as he goes through the gate and says good night.

*~*~*

Looking at the storage room, Kei shakes his head. He ignores Tadashi’s question about where he’d been in the morning, and why he and Ryuunosuke had come to boy’s club room late. Tadashi knows damn well why, but he has too much fun pestering Kei. 

“Grab the thing already, Yamaguchi.” Kei ignores Tadashi’s laugh, the ‘sorry, Tsukki’ that doesn’t sound so sorry at all.

They move the big pole from the storage room towards the center. Having a good grip on the end, Kei likes to follow Tadashi and let him lead. In the past half year, his best friend’s arms have gotten stronger. Looking past Tadashi, Kei can see Kageyama and Hinata, messing around with the net. They’re squabbling, as Hinata wants to unravel the net already, so they can hang it up more quickly. 

“Are you stupid? The poles aren’t even in their places yet.” Kageyama growls, trying to pull the net, and an unwilling Hinata, towards the center. Kei cannot help but roll his eyes at Hinata’s impatience to start practice, even if it's just a minute earlier. They’re supposed to wait for everyone and warm up first, anyway. 

As he rolls his eyes to the ceiling another time when Hinata doesn’t move, he doesn’t watch or anticipate Tadashi stopping at the blockade. The pole slips from Kei’s hands as his friend stops, and falls down to the ground, missing Kei’s long feet by centimeters. 

“Damn fucking shit.” Kei curses, unable to control his words out of shock, and squats down to gather the pole’s end back into his hands. Holding it with one hand against his hips, he pushes his glasses up his nose, then notices the watchful eyes on him. 

The other three first years give him a look, each different. Kageyama’s face has rid itself of minor anger issues towards Hinata. In turn, Hinata has his head tilted, his brows furrowed. Tadashi, above all, has his face screwed up as if he is trying to hold back a smile or a comment. 

“What?” Kei asks, impatient at the hold up. Grabbing the pole with both hands, he gives it a little push, to make Tadashi move. “Can we walk, please? This thing is freaking heavy.”

The looks he’s getting intensify. Tadashi smiles, Hinata blinks, and Kageyama’s eyes widen a little.

“Since when do _you_ talk like Tanaka-san?” The hint in Kageyama’s voice brings back memories. Kei knows exactly what he means by it, and has to look away. 

“I am not. Can we get a move on now?” He cannot face any of them, the least Tadashi, whose laugh is near silent.

After the small incident, they set up the poles and hang the net. Once they’re done with their task, Kageyama starts to stretch his arms to his feet, while Hinata waves to their senpai. Tadashi, who stands next to Kei, elbows his friend into the ribs, then nods ahead.

Reluctant, since he knows what, or rather, who he’d see, Kei turns his head slightly to find who Hinata is waving at. Ryuunosuke and Nishinoya, instead of pulling the cart full of volleyballs, toss to each other, back and forth until they reach the first years. Nishinoya, practiced at throwing tosses now, takes the time to wave both his arms to Hinata in between, while Ryuunosuke has troubles keeping the ball up in the air. When Nishinoya’s pass back is perfect still, Ryuunosuke is the one who messes up. 

The ball floats behind Nishinoya, who has to dive after it for a save, and Ryuunosuke cannot react quick enough to get the ball.

“Bloody fucking hell!” He hisses, then runs after the rolling ball. 

Kei ignores three pairs of eyes staring into his direction, and focuses on Nishinoya laughing his ass off.

“Ryuu, your reactions is getting worse!” Nishinoya, holding his stomach, then gives Kei a look that holds nothing private, good, or indeed, left to imagination. 

Thoroughly done being pestered from all sides, Kei closes his eyes and ducks under the net to the other side, to stretch his limbs and warm up his shoulders. It has been a month since Kei and Ryuunosuke told their best friends about the relationship they had, and neither of the brunettes has had the grace to let them live it down. While Nishinoya was as loud as ever, teasing both Ryuunosuke and Kei whenever they were alone, Tadashi could sink into that specific kind of silence, his lips smirking in ways that had Kei wanting to throw a ball into his face. 

Ryuunosuke could deal with the teasing more easily. Once Kageyama and Hinata were out of earshot running around to warm up, Nishinoya told Ryuunosuke that he shouldn’t try to show off so much when Kei was around. His back towards the duo, Kei knew his neck was getting warmer, and he sighs, closing his eyes and willing the blush to cool off.

“Fucking Christ, Noya, I am not showing off.”

“Yes you did. You do this all the time and just now you’ve proved it! Messing up just because Tsukishima was watching!”

Hearing the others nearing, Kei turns to Nishinoya, wanting to tell him, as politely as possible, to not be this loud. Instead, Nishinoya grins, patting Kei’s arm. Nothing had to be said at all, as Nishinoya changes topics as naturally as switching from tossing to receiving. 

Seeing Ryuunosuke in the dumps, Kei walks towards him, helping him to stretch his arms forward more. Leaning down, unnoticed by the rest, he kisses Ryuunosuke’s neck.

“I think you always look cool, Ryuunosuke-senpai.” It’s a rare show of affection Kei allows himself to when he’s 100% sure no one can see it. He likes the warmth of Ryuunosuke’s neck; for once being the person who can make the other blush there. However, it’s usually Ryuunosuke’s ears who take most of the colour. Kei cannot let himself go too much, even though he’d like to take a nibble at them. 

“Fucking hell, Kei, can you back off a little!? I don’t need this kind of ‘warming up’, okay?” Ryuunosuke’s protest has Kei smiling on the inside, while his face tries to be impassive. Pushing himself off his boyfriend, and said boyfriend down in the process, he keeps a steady eye on the rest of the gym. 

“Ah, I forgot to mention it earlier. My mom said it’s fine to go to your place on Sunday. She’s asking if it’s not too much trouble-”

“Shit, Kei. The only one who will be in trouble is you and your cute ass.” Ryuunosuke looks over his shoulder, grinning, and evades Kei’s hand quickly. As much as Kei wants to continue this kind of affection-showing, Sawamura is telling them to gather. As Ryuunosuke needs no help getting up, Kei makes the mistake of walking ahead. In front of him are Nishinoya and Tadashi, talking about tosses and pipes. As everyone has their back towards them, and Sawamura leans over to look at a schedule Shimizu is holding, Kei jumps. 

He couldn’t let his guard down for even a second, when Ryuunosuke runs up behind him to slap his ass, laughing back over his shoulder in a way that has Kei’s heart miss a beat. 

*~*~* 

The doorbell rings, and while Ryuunosuke puts a black hoodie over his head, he yells towards the demanding sound coming outside his door. 

“Mother of Christ,” Ryuunosuke says under his breath, then, towards the door, “Godfuckingdammit, _yes, I am coming alright_!” Yelling, he opens the door in excitement, ready to give Kei another volley of curses at the childish, impatient behaviour. He couldn’t have known Kei was just as anxious to meet up as Ryuunosuke. However, for some reason, when Ryuunosuke opens the door, there are two Tsukishima’s standing in front of him. One is obviously Kei, while the other, older one, holds a sleeping bag, and a frozen smile. Maybe, Ryuunosuke shouldn’t have cursed that loud before. Kei glances at his brother, not looking at Ryuunosuke as he speaks.

“I’ve told him not to come, but he insisted…” Kei looks away, while Akiteru smiles his greeting to Ryuunosuke. He even extends a hand, still holding Kei’s bag over his shoulder.

“Hi! Nice to see you again, Tanaka-kun.” Akiteru is all pleasantries, but the hand grabbing Ryuunosuke has a firm grip that doesn’t let go easily. For some reason, this Western way of greeting each other has Ryuunosuke under suspicion that there is more to Akiteru being here than just dropping his little brother off. It bears a warning of sorts. 

“May I come in? I just need to use the restroom. I have a long ride to Sendai in front of me, see-” Akiteru says, as he lets himself in, pushing the bag into Ryuunosuke’s arms. Behind him, Kei is rolling his eyes, head tilted to the heavens, asking a silent ‘why’ to whatever deity might be listening. Overcome, Ryuunosuke stands aside to let the older Tsukishima in, while the younger one’s hesitancy is ignored. 

Instead of going to the restroom right next to the hall, Akiteru inspects the living room. Ryuunosuke blinks, but then relaxes. It was a smart idea not to put candles and rose petals everywhere. The only things in the living room are some snacks, the kotatsu he has to put up (as he wanted Kei to watch him do it), and a couple of films. Another smart thing of Ryuunosuke, something he’s learned from his sister, was to put the porn movies inside normal movie jackets. Akiteru gives them a quick glance, but then sees nothing wrong with the old samurai movies. 

“Ah, the toilet is uh, ah here it is!” Akiteru laughs, rubbing the back of his head in a while Ryuunosuke knows to be the Tsukishima signature sign of ‘I am posing to be polite while being full of shit’. As the older brother rambles on and off to the loo, Ryuunosuke gives Kei, who left his shoes at the entrance, a befuddled look. Kei closes the distance to him, leaning his torso against Ryuunosuke’s arm.

“I couldn’t stop him. He insisted on coming and, hell, I thought it’d be suspicious to tell him he can’t come. I think he knows.” Kei murmurs, watching over Ryuunosuke’s head to keep a tight watch on the guest toilet’s door. Quickly, Ryuunosuke gives him a kiss on the cheek, letting him know it’s quite alright.

“No problem. I’ve got the condoms hidden in the couch and-” Ryuunosuke said it with a straight face, but breaks into a laugh when Kei hits his chest. They stop and create distance between their bodies when the toilet flushes and they hear water hitting the sink as Akiteru washes his hands. “I am kidding, Kei, fucking hell.” 

Akiteru comes out, giving the two a look as if he waits for something to happen. Ryuunosuke doesn’t even think about inviting him to drink some soda, as he has the feeling Akiteru might as well take him up on the offer. 

“So uh, Sendai huh? Long ride I think.” Ryuunosuke says, his face as blank as possible. 

“That’s right, an hour, isn’t it, brother?” Kei tries to help, his face, of course, a more innocent one-looking than Ryuunosuke could ever hope to have. Akiteru wavers, shaking the length of the ride off as something that he doesn’t mind. He stretches the time being here with small talk, as if anything distrustful might appear out of air the longer he waits and is here. Then his eyes catch the kotatsu, not yet in his place.

“Hey, I don’t mind. Do you need help with that, Tanaka-kun?” His finger points to the kotatsu, and both Ryuunosuke and Kei look at it. In his ignorance, Ryuunosuke waves it off as something he can do in a heartbeat, his smile freezing on his face. Akiteru doesn’t let go of it, though. 

“If it’s so easy, wouldn’t you have done it already _before_ your guest arrives?”

Ryuunosuke swallows his impatience, and keeps up an easy smile, blinking his eyes fast as he tries to keep cool. Trying to keep appearances, he steps closer to Akiteru, hoping the older brother won’t see it as another threat. It wouldn’t be good to have Kei’s older brother dislike him. After Yuu and Yamaguchi, they had every intention of telling their older siblings. Although Saeko knows of her little brother’s preferences, Ryuunosuke first wants to see how things play out between him and Kei before he tells his sister. He’s been dying to tell her all about it, knowing that she would support him.

“Y-yeah well, I was busy preparing dinner and the bath water and uh, making tea and such. I didn’t think Kei would be here this early.” Not stumbling over the mistake of using Kei’s first name, Ryuunosuke opens his arms, trying to guide Akiteru to the door. “And thank you for that! I am sure he appreciates it.”

Kei helps out, at last. “I do. Thanks. Now leave please.”

“Why, anything naughty planned?” Akiteru says, pinning the donkey’s tail right on the point. Ryuunosuke freezes, a second too late to laugh that comment off as nonsense. Behind him, he feels Kei losing patience with his older brother, the embarrassment getting an upper hand in the matter. Aiding Ryuunosuke to get Akiteru out of the house, Kei takes it upon himself to physically push him to the door. While he has all the height, Akiteru has all the muscles and weight, and isn’t pushed that easily.

As the wall of older brother deflects the younger one, Kei’s socks slip on the floor, and he falls forward.

“Jesus fucking _shit_.” Kei curses in pain, then gets up quick, embarrassment sneaking a redness all over his neck. “Can you just leave? There’s nothing weird going on and-”

“Say, Kei. I’ve noticed this since quite a while but, can you tell me when you started to have a foul mouth like this?” Akiteru has his head turned to his younger brother, who stops pushing him. Kei freezes, and Ryuunosuke cannot see his eyes. He wonders if he’s stopped blinking, too. 

“You’ve been cursing a lot lately. Mom says so too. Since a month or so.” Akiteru gives Ryuunosuke a look, as if he has everything to do with it. Somehow, and Ryuunosuke cannot deny the fact that he swears a lot, that might be true. They’ve been boyfriends for two and half months, and Kei started to be comfortable with him at about six weeks. Maybe it was Ryuunosuke’s fault, and his colourful wording had influenced Kei in a bad way. 

“Well, I.” Kei stammers, then uses the moment of Akiteru’s off-guard nonchalance to push him further down the hall. “It’s late. Riding late can be dangerous. You should go now.” 

Akiteru is still asking questions, but it gladdens Ryuunosuke to see him do so as he fastens his sneakers around his feet. Once he’s out of the door, still talking, Kei says good bye in a cold way, then closes the door. As he hears the outside gate close, Kei leans against the wall, looking to the ceiling. And then he closes his eyes, cursing softly.

Ryuunosuke laughs at the display. “Shit, I thought he’d never leave!” 

He wasn’t lying about the bathwater and the dinner, however. “Make yourself comfy on the couch, I’ll be right back.” Ryuunosuke says, before he rushes to the bathroom first, putting the heater off the tub ‘on’ so it would warm the water. Then he runs down the stairs, wanting to check up on the dinner he was re-heating, as he sees Kei already stirring in the pot, the fire of the stove lowered.

Allowing himself to relax, Ryuunosuke stands beside Kei, a hand brushing the lower back of his on-edge boyfriend. 

“Finally got you all to myself.”

Kei stirs on, and if the words make him feel anything, he doesn’t show it. He only holds his hand in front of his face, pushing at his glasses which perch on his nose perfectly already. Mumbling something along the lines of ‘already have me’ which Ryuunosuke cannot quite hear, it has him cupping his own ear, tilting his head towards Kei.

“What didya say?” He asks Kei, mocking him at every word. The blond head turns away, a rise in his tone and the speed of what he says. 

“I asked, were you really joking about the condoms?” Although Kei’s says it, Ryuunosuke is quite sure that wasn’t what he heard at all. However, every so often, he has to pretend, for Kei’s sake, who sometimes cannot handle the situation he got himself in with Ryuunosuke. The latter smiles, following up on the question as if it were the intended words.

“Yes, I was. But there’s lube hidden between the couch. I thought it’d be fun to bend you over, ya know? Have you search for it while I lick down your spine and-” Ryuunosuke has to duck away from the wooden spoon aimed at his head. Laughing, he steps back out of range, enjoying how he can undo Kei. When he deems it safe, he returns to his boyfriend’s side, pushing him away gently to put the stove out. 

“It smells nice.” Kei says coolly, ignoring what Ryuunosuke said. 

“Wait till you know what dessert is.” Ryuunosuke grins, then preheats the oven. He then tells Kei to help him set the table, and ushers him out of the kitchen. As Kei likes surprises such as dessert, he doesn’t sneak a peek, letting Ryuunosuke handle what he prepared before the Tsukishima brothers came in. As he takes the plate full of apricots topped off with an almond mixture, he uses his foot to open the oven, then bends to put the apricots inside to bake. 

The dinner his mother and sister made yesterday was enough for two days, as they both knew Ryuunosuke would have a friend over. Sitting close by to each other at the dinner table, they talk about their homework. Kei finished his on Saturday, while Ryuunosuke looks away and mumbles he has his half done today. Meanwhile, they eat dinner. Kei’s nose sniffs every now and then, eyes towards the kitchen, as the sweet fruity smell fills the rooms on the lower floor. 

“What did you make?” Kei asks, putting his plate on top of Ryuunosuke’s, who gathers the dishes and denies him a concrete answer as puts them away in the sink. 

“You’ll see it in a second. Sit your ass down on the couch, ‘kay?” Ryuunosuke calls from the kitchen, putting on tea water. He then checks on the dessert, happy with the result. Just five more minutes and it’s done. Getting two mugs out of the cabinet above him, he adds a tea bag of a new flavour he found in the supermarket, smiling. Kei would have the best evening here, being in a good mood, and it didn’t matter to Ryuunosuke how far they’d go tonight. Even if they just would go to second base, even if he’d only succeed in fingering Kei; as long as he makes his boyfriend happy, he’s happy, too. 

Returning to the living room with the steaming hot mugs, he puts them down on a table beside the couch, and sets to work putting the kotatsu in order. It’s 2 minutes of work, really, but he likes having Kei watch him do any kind of task. Having put a heavy blanket over it, the tabletop across that, Ryuunosuke then fishes two coasters off the floor for the tea. 

Once the set up is done, Kei takes the two cups, then slides to the ground beside Ryuunosuke, as they wait for the kotatsu to be properly heated. Ryuunosuke kisses Kei’s neck and cheek, up to the ears. 

“Try the tea, alright? I’m sure you’ll love it. Couldn’t help thinking about you and so I bought it.” Ryuunosuke watches him, happy to see the eager eyes. Kei takes the tea bag out of the mug and onto a small dish set out for it. Then he takes the mug in both his hands, testing the temperature. When he sips it, Ryuunosuke fidgets next to him, waiting for a reaction, not even touching his own mug.

“Hmm?” Kei blinks, taking another, longer sip. He blinks, trying to make it out for himself. When he can’t, or when he has a hunch but isn’t sure, he checks the flavour from the little card hanging off the tea bag, reading it out loud. “‘Strawberry shortcake’? Tastes good. 

“Doesn’t it!?” Ryuunosuke smiles wide, happy as the start of surprises goes down well with Kei. Upstairs, he’s already set the candles, and put the rose petals into the water, too. For a moment, he just stares at Kei, not hearing him say anything. As Ryuunosuke registered the mouth moving, and eyes giving him a questionable glance, Ryuunosuke eyes become more focused as his head returns from the clouds. 

“Huh?”

“I said, where did you find it?” Kei asks again, holding his mug. 

“The fuck with that question, I am not telling ‘where’! Otherwise you won’t enjoy it as much whenever you come here. It’s something to look forward too, ne? Anything to have your sweet tooth coming here.”

“I don’t have a sweet tooth, Ryuunosuke-san. And also,” Kei looks to his mug, blowing at the steam. “You don’t need to do anything special to have me come over. You being here is reason enough.”

The rebuttal that Yamaguchi has told Ryuunosuke all of Kei’s secrets never makes it from Ryuunosuke’s head to his mouth. Again, he stares at Kei, as if he can’t believe how perfect he is. As the fondness of Kei’s words has Ryuunosuke on cloud nine all over, the latter leans into Kei, then takes his chin in his fingers. He kisses him, gently and more decently than he’d would usually. Somehow, now that they’re alone and have all the freedom of privacy, Ryuunosuke doesn’t feel rushed. 

In the kitchen, the timer he set makes a ruckus. Letting go of Kei’s lips with a soft sound, Ryuunosuke gives him another kiss on the forehead as he gets up. “Be right back with another treat.” 

He places the apricots on one plate, then brings two forks with him as he returns to the living room. In the meantime, Kei made himself comfortable below the heavy blanket, holding the mug of strawberry flavoured tea as if it is a treasure. A soft smile eases on Ryuunosuke’s face at the sight, and he puts the warm, halved apricots down on the table.

“Baked apricots topped with almond. You’re gonna love this.”

“Thanks.” Kei says, putting the mug down and takes the fork. As much as he tries to hide his love for sweet things, Kei cannot help it, unable to keep the craving to taste the goods in front of him waiting much longer. Ryuunosuke loves every second of it. Even now, he watches as Kei blows on the apricot, then puts it inside his mouth. The almond topping sticks to his lips as he bites down, and the juices of the fruit run over his bottom lip. It must be hot, as Kei holds the fork over the plate, wanting to wipe it off his face.

Ryuunosuke reflexes are quicker than that. Cursing the damn apricots, he licks the juice off Kei’s lips, then lets his tongue dip into the sweet cave to have an aftertaste. This kiss doesn’t hint at anything innocent, and Kei’s arm goes around Ryuunosuke’s to steady himself. 

“That’s sweet,” Ryuunosuke breathes out, heavy eyes watching Kei’s lips. The latter has to look away, then puts the second, remaining quarter of the apricot into his mouth.

“Apparently, that’s what my mouth needs. Yamaguchi also mentioned that I have been cursing a lot more, and he says it started around the same time he noticed something going on between you and me.” A second apricot half vanishes inside Kei’s mouth, and he’s careful not let any juice drip outside this time. As if he’s careful to not give Ryuunosuke another opening, who, right now, is only wanting to tackle him to the floor. “Seriously, Ryuunosuke-san, you have to take responsibility.”

“Fuck you, Kei. I will.” Ryuunosuke says, pushing Kei’s hand, still holding the fork, down to kiss him again. Kei lets himself be moved the floor by Ryuunosuke’s handling, their lips locked. It’s impossible to straddle Kei when his legs are under the kotatsu, and so Ryuunosuke has to hover over the stomach, careful not to sit on the food-filled belly. Kei’s free arm crosses over Ryuunosuke’s hoodie, pushing it over the shaven head, while another arm stays on his senpai’s back holding the fork. 

“Yeah?” Kei asks, and it’s not a vague hint to what sort of ‘responsibility’ he’s aiming at. Ryuunosuke’s features soften, and he touches Kei’s cheek in a warm gesture, reassuring him.

“Yes, I will. When you’re ready for it, I totally will.”

Kei breathes out a sigh relief, then nods. “Okay. That’s good.” He looks away, flustered. “Thanks.”

Ryuunosuke lets him be shy for a moment, softly brushing the warm cheek with his thumb. He could gaze at Kei forever, watching the different emotions, even as they are sometimes hidden, come across over the gorgeous face of his boyfriend. Every so often, he feels alight with happiness, as if he could float away. Giving Kei’s warm face a few pecks, Ryuunosuke smiles, waiting for him to settle. 

“So uhm, what else have you planned?” Kei asks at long last.

“Oh my god, I’ve got _loads_ of stuff, yeah? You’re gonna dig it all, I am sure.” Ryuunosuke grins, his eyes closed as his smile splits his face in half. 

“Better than the dessert?” 

The happiness turns into a dirty grin, running over Ryuunosuke’s face like a promise of nothing good. What he wants to do to Kei is of course aimed to pleasure him in all the ways that will make him lose it properly, all across every surface Ryuunosuke can think off. For now, he just teases the preview of the bliss. “Remember when I mentioned licking your spine? I’m gonna try real hard to make it at least as sweet as that, Kei.”

He can see the redness on Kei’s face for a second, and then he sees nothing. Kei pulls Ryuunosuke’s hoodie down across his eyes, making him blind and vulnerable for attack. Although Ryuunosuke is stronger, he lets Kei get away. If Kei needs space, Ryuunosuke is the first to give in and give it to him, as much as he needs, for as long as he feels the need for it. 

Sitting down in front and under the kotatsu once more, Ryuunosuke puts the TV on something more innocent than what hides in the DVD jackets. When he tries to get his own fork, Kei holds out his, an apricot perched on top.

“Seriously? We’re at the stage of fucking feeding each other?”

“Shut the hell up, senpai. You held out your dick in front of my face a dozens time, too.”

Laughing out loud, Ryuunosuke concedes, and lets himself be fed the dessert he’s made. Side by side, they watch some TV, until the apricots are gone and Kei’s hand drifts under the blanket towards Ryuunosuke’s lap.

“So, I am sure there’s another sweet treat hiding here, isn’t?”

Licking his lips, Ryuunosuke catches the wrist. “Uh-huh, for sure. How about we get to the place where we can get cleaned up after, though? C’mon.” Ryuunosuke gives Kei a quick peck, then gets up to lead him to the stairs. Holding hands, they walk up towards the bathroom, and Ryuunosuke uses his free hand to open it. He didn’t leave the light switch on, to have that extra cool effect.

Inside the bathroom it’s hot as hell. The somewhat 30 candles heat up the place even more so than the hot bath. Ryuunosuke gets hot under his hoodie, and he relieves himself off it as he lets Kei step inside to look at the romantic display. He doesn’t need to hear anything. Kei undresses quite naturally, and Ryuunosuke finished off getting naked too. When he sees that Kei put his glasses on the sink counter, he helps a half-blind Kei, sitting him down on the stool in front of the shower. They clean each other before entering the bath, laughing as Kei, face deadpanning, forgets that Ryuunosuke’s head is shaved and hairless, as he rubs shampoo over the head.

“The fucking hell you’re even attempting, Kei?”

“...It maybe makes your head smell nicer.”

Swatting the hands on his face away, Ryuunosuke takes a small bucket of water and washes the shampoo and soap off their heads and bodies. He then takes Kei’s hand, and guides him to the bathtub. 

The rose petals are many, and they float away when Ryuunosuke and Kei step into the hot tub, only to gather around them once they’ve settled into a comfortable sitting position. Ryuunosuke, wiping a dirty grin of his face, spreads his legs, and motions Kei to sit between them. Happy to see him comply, he puts his arms around Kei’s middle, hugging the naked body close to his own. Although the setting is romantic and sexy enough, Ryuunosuke doesn’t want to rush anything here. 

“The petals smell nicely. Funny how strong the scent is, though.”

“Ah, uh. To be honest, I stole a thing called uh, a ‘bath bomb’? Yeah, that thing, from my sister, together with some smelly candles. They all have a rose scent.” Ryuunosuke scratches his head, wondering if he overdid it with the romance stuff. There’s nothing to worry, however; Kei rests the back of his head on Ryuunosuke’s shoulder, sighing in content. 

“Thank you, Ryuu. I love- I mean. I like all of this.”

Huffing a laugh against Kei’s temple, Ryuunosuke kisses it softly. Even without glasses, Kei looks just as handsome. In the past, Ryuunosuke would let him get away with denying the L-word being said out loud. But tonight, Ryuunosuke has no intention of letting that slip by.

“Ya know, you can say that you love me, right? I’ve told you before. I don’t mind being told in return, Kei.”

Kei scrunches his nose at the suggestion. “Oh fuck no. You might get airs on once I say it.”

“Fuck you, I won’t! And either way, the one who gets his shit turned on being told he’s loved is you, stupid. You damn well dig being told, all the damn fucking time.” Ryuunosuke laughs, even as his words have an edge. Kei can take it, as well as he dishes it out and back into Ryuunosuke’s face. 

“Hmmm, maybe I won’t be able to stop saying it, and it’ll piss you off.”

“Dammit Kei, I’m gonna make you sing a chorus of ‘I love you’ once my tongue goes _below_ the place where your spine leads to.” Ryuunosuke grins, revealing at what he’s been hinting at before. Kei sighs, defeated, not wanting to indulge him too much as he tries to relax in the hot water.

“We’ll see if your technique is as good as your baking.”

“Damn straight. And you loved those apricots.”

“Yes, I did.” Avoiding saying the word yet out loud, Kei kisses Ryuunosuke’s jaw, as it moves from the grumbling. Setting his jaw as to hold the groan, Ryuunosuke relaxes against the tub. He just knows, too well, that once he starts, Kei will only fall, unable to get back and scramble into some sort of safety from _not_ saying the things he’d want to. But that wall will crumble, just like the boy Ryuunosuke holds in his arms; becoming as sweet and hot as the apricots they devoured, and maybe, just maybe, just as avenging to return the favour in some sort. 

Ryuunosuke grins in anticipation.

“Stop being so pleased with yourself, Ryuunosuke-san.”

“I do smile as much as I damn well want to, Kei.” Ryuunosuke says, not having his eyes open, and taking the vengeful bite to his jaw in stride. After all, Kei biting him turns him on. He holds him tighter, kissing the temple once more. “I love you, ‘kay? There I said. Now hold still and relax.”

“Whatever you say.” Kei replies sleepily. Ryuunosuke cannot imagine a better start to whatever will follow later those words. Except if it will be ‘whatever you want’. He’s not too worried about that part, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> SO about Akiteru! I am sure he would be super kind to Ryuu once he knows him. But I wanted to have this minor hostility added. I like to think that Akiteru is super protective of Kei when he has the feeling there's something indecent happening to his lil bro by someone whose a year older. Plus writing those exchanges were super fun :o
> 
> EDIT: I am still crying over this, I do not deserve such kindness http://wisp-o-will.tumblr.com/post/137582605001/huh-i-said-where-did-you-find-it-kei-asks


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